52 Hillside Honda Consumer Reviews and Complaints

A link has directed you to this review. Its location on this page may change next time you visit.

Page 1
Reviews 1 - 30

Tony of Hollis, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Jan. 31, 2019

This dealership is the worst... Stay away. They are a bunch of lazy workers including the managers that are only concern with looking at their phones and will give you the run around all day. They do not value your time.

Helpful

Be the first one to find this review helpful

sandy of Queens, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Dec. 23, 2017

Beware! All the salesmen at 144-19 Hillside Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11435 are trying to deceive you. They all work as a team to get as much profit off you. The guy that does the paperwork in closing sales is very cunning. He talks other customer's name with new customers. They basically tell you things that forces you to make a deal and sign papers. Never sign anything unless you have read the fine prints. He say, "If you come another time the price on the car will increase." He also gets me to sign up for extended warranty that was not needed since the car still had 2 years on it. They don't tell you certain information that is important... their intention is getting as much money they can from you. I went to the new car building and asked to speak to the general manager, they put me on to Mr. ** who just did not help.

The GM called to wish me a happy birthday, when I called him back on that number I didn't get through. Whenever, you are going to shop for a car, secretly record or video the conversation between you and the salesperson/the guy that closes the sales for evidence if something should happen. This will help if you are a first time buyer. Have questions to ask for clarity and do your research. As Judge Judy says, "Never sign anything unless you are knowledgeable enough and is agreeing to everything on the contract." Because you saying anything to ** or the GM without evidence won't prove a thing. I will never recommend anyone to Hillside Honda. I cried when I knew they rip me off. It takes an experience to make me more knowledgeable and to not repeat this mistake again.

I was there to buy car which I can drive for commercial so I wanted to register under my name...but they wrongly gave me just bill of sale and register the car under my father name. I was told by the manager that they will buy back the car but when I went back to return now they say, "We cannot help you." The car is just lying as I cannot drive neither my fathers want to have... They trapped us in between. We don't know what to do. I will never advise anyone to visit Hillside Honda. They are frauds, cheaters. They think they can do business on wrongly misguided mislead people...

Helpful

5 people found this review helpful

Josh of Ny, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Sept. 30, 2017

I went and bought a used Honda Civic LX 2014. 3 months this later the paint job they did is showing signs of bodywork that was hidden by the car dealership and the manager is saying it’s my fault that I did all the work myself after owning the car 4 months. Please avoid this place at all cost. They are selling damaged cars and not telling the buyers.

Helpful

10 people found this review helpful

Adam of Jamaica, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Sept. 1, 2017

I bought a Honda Cr-v from Hillside Honda in September, 2016. For the most part Hillside Honda is a scam dealer. They rip you off with interest and hidden charges. Be sure to read through your contract and don't sign empty forms. I now know because I have been a victim of their calculated machinations 2 times. As recent as last week, I have trying to get my car refinance to a lower rate. I am up to date with my payments despite the high rate. I received a pre-approval mail to refinance my vehicle at a lower rate with openroad. I followed through the online procedure, filled a form and received an email that I was approved and will be financed by Wells Fargo Dealer Services. I was asked to submit all required documents. I provided work verification letter and income, proof of insurance, state registration and proof of residence.

I was also asked to sign other forms including the state title registration forms for the refinance and evidence of my original purchase. I signed and scanned, emailed it. I was asked a again and provided with a postage to send my original evidence of purchase and state title registration, alleging that NY STATE will not process my registration for the refinance without if they don't present them with my original purchase and evidence of registration.

When I sent the original and also signed an empty form for the new title registration assuming the refinance is finalized. When I sent it, I didn't hear from the representative for 3 days. Then she called me and asked that I contact the dealer - Hillside Honda who sold me the car in the first place for the same document that I just mailed the original to her. When I said it did not make sense. She called 2 days later again and said I should go to DMV for a copy of the original document I mailed to her and send her a copy to finalize the refinance.

At this point, it clear that I was been scammed. Hillside Honda as a dealer used the OpenRoad car refinance services and scammed me. They want repossession of my vehicle. Now Hillside Honda has my original purchase document and a new title registration form that I signed the owner section. With these documents and signature from me, I fear that they can lie that I sold back or brought back the car to them to sell, which is not true. Then again said I should go to DMV to get a copy of the same document and mail it to her before my loan is approved. At this point it was confusing to me. I just want my original NYS title registration and evidence of purchase of the vehicle mailed back to me - a scanned copy of which is attached here.

I feel this is a scam to steal the vehicle. And you should not allow your services to be used for that. I do not want to refinance again. I hope your leadership will help to resolve this internally and have her get my original documents back to me. Now, the reps and Hillside Honda do not want to speak with me. It turns out that the person as was dealing with and thought was OpenRoad worker, works for Honda. I am trying to get my documents back and no one wants to speak to me now. I attached this registration document, which is the original Hillside Honda took back from me.

We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.

Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.

For more information about reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com please visit our
FAQ.

Patricia of Kew Gardens, NY

Original review: Feb. 15, 2017

I am devastated by my recent experience at Hillside Honda when I attempted to turn in my lease of a Kia Soul and purchase a new Honda Fit. I dealt with a salesperson by the name of Hugo who took an inordinate amount of time negotiating a lease payment. However the real problem happened when I met with the Finance manager David. He stated that since I had such good credit and was putting down so much money I should purchase the vehicle. I mentioned to him that I was retired and could not afford large monthly payments but he ignored me and proceeded to sign me up for an extended warranty as well as. These items totaled over $4000 added to the cost of the vehicle. I am now stuck with a 6-year costly purchase. Please do not go to this dealership at any cost. It is a total scam.

Helpful

13 people found this review helpful

shafali of Ozone Park, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Nov. 8, 2016

Took a leased 2016 Accord towed to their shop since it wouldn't start on a Sunday. Called the service department the following day and no one knows that my car was there. I lost a day from work because of these scammers. I called multiple times to f/u on the status on the car and no one would get back to me. I went back to their location and was advised the Henry ** - Sales Advisor who had the audacity to tell me that I have bad gas in the tank and all expenses will be my responsibility. These people are a RIPOFF.

Helpful

7 people found this review helpful

Sean of Arverne, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: June 10, 2016

I will try and keep this short, but let me give you a quick synopsis of how incompetent this place is... I speak to a rep, send over my paperwork via fax to have everything ready, call the day before to confirm an appointment to see the car, show up for my appointment and the vehicle isn't on the lot, it was sent for reconditioning apparently and will be back in two days. Maria the girl I set the appointment up with actually, I kid you not calls me while on the lot with the sales rep to ask if I am coming in to see the vehicle, I let her know I am already here and the car isn't! She giggles and says okay, the rep (Marcos) apologizes and tells me he will let me know when it comes in. I explain my frustration as it's an hour drive to this dealership.

I don't hear from him, so I call myself and speak to the manager Kenny, who also then apologizes and says he has had a staff meeting with employees about checking to make sure cars are in fact on the lot, and lets me know he will call me when it comes back in Tuesday. No word from Kenny, so I call Wednesday and speak to Julissa the original rep I spoke to on the phone when inquiring. She also apologizes and tells me the car is back on the lot and I let her know I will come in on Friday to check it out. She informs me she will call me if the car is sold or anything. Here we are Friday 6/10/16, I call and speak to Marcos who tells me he will check about the car and call me right back. 2 hours later I decide to call back and Julissa answers. I tell her I was waiting to hear from Marcos, she actually I KID YOU NOT, tells me the car isn't back from the shop.

Of course, I am pissed and I ask to speak to that manager Kenny, who tells me he's sorry again, he understands my frustration and he's frustrated too because other people are interested in this car... Are ya serious??? I tell him that I no longer plan to do business with this level of incompetence and hang up. So shop there at your own risk folks, clearly they are very incompetent and I am shocked they're still in business. Oh one last point when I did show up that day he asked if I wanted to see the other two Town & Country's, I said sure just for the heck of it. Yeah, one had a rumbling motor, the other... The battery was dead! Again good luck to any buyers. I guess that wasn't so short.

We had the worst nightmare of our life by buying a new car at this dealership. Their alien salespersons and finance reps rip you off in general and alienate customers in particular in the name of their religion, nationality and language. We bought a brand new car with signed price proposal but when we went for the final paperwork, they charged a different price and added up all kinds of unnecessary options and access to jack up their financial greed. When we checked the car invoice and visited them, we were told that the signed price proposal has been shredded and they were unbelievably indecent. Their great con finance rep, named Mr. Noor ** was never available despite our numerous visits to their dealership.

And finally, he told us that if we can get car refinanced, he would take the shoddy bells and whistles which have not been installed on the car. We got another loan at better terms but when we went back to them, the great prevaricator said he never promised to take anything off and he even rudely threatened us to leave the dealership otherwise he would call the cops upon us. With the interference of their so called manager, who is also the chip of the same rotten block, promised to take care of our grievances and call us back.

It has been almost more than three months now and we havent yet heard anything from them. As we are out of all our genteel efforts to resolve the issues amicably with them; instead of knocking their door back and forth, we are going to take them up with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Better Business Bureau, NYS Dept of Motor Vehicles (DMV Consumer & Facilities Services Complaint Unit), NYC Dept Consumer Affairs and NYS Attorney Generals Office. Last but not the least, if needed, we would also hire an auto fraud attorney to pursue our grievances to make sure that we get justice and nobody else is victimized by them exactly the same way like us.

I wish I would have Googled their reviews before making a big lifetime mistake of getting involved with them. In short, we would never recommend this crook dealership even to our foes and especially to get into the traps of their big fat liar, Mr. Noor **. Kindly stay miles away even from their location in order to avoid their evil and felonious repercussions otherwise you will be duped too like us. When we told him that "you were so nice" at the time of selling the car and he stupidly replied that its human nature. So, they dont care abt the customer service but their own avaricious human nature.

I had been to the dealership because I bought my current car there 11 years ago. There was extreme pressure to buy a car that day which I intended to do. After being made to wait for two hours I had to leave but the salesman (Luther) promised to call me within two hours because he wanted to make the deal that day and he said he was off the next day and couldn't wait. When that time came and went I called him back. He said to give him five minutes and he would call me back. That call never came. I decided to go to another dealership. While I was there, Madeline ** from Hillside Honda called and asked me to please come back because they wanted to make the deal work. I agreed to come back. I was surprised to see Luther there since he told me he was off today.

He walked up to me and smiled and tried to shake my hand. I confronted him on his poor customer service and the fact that he lied to me and never called me back. He just smiled and walked away. After being made to wait another hour and a half the deal they offered me was worse than the day before. I walked up to Luther, the original salesman, and took his picture with my phone. I told him that I would share it so everyone would know who not to trust at the dealership. I was pulling out of the parking lot when another manager begged me to come back because they wanted to make the deal. I parked again and walked back in. After being made to wait another half hour the deal that I was offered was still not the one that I was offered the day before.

By that point I had enough of being played for a fool and left. I was just about out of the parking lot when Luther approached my car and acted in a way that surprised me. He made threatening remarks by telling me he knew where my family and I live and he wanted me to know that. His comments were very concerning. I went back in to the dealership to tell the manager what had just happened. I waited outside for a half hour and the general manager never came out to hear my concerns. All the while all the sales associates in the dealership laughed about it with Luther. Needless to say I will never buy another car from this dealership and I suggest that others stay away as well. Not the same dealership it used to be.

This business practice is dishonest, unethical, you can never imagine. Finance person - Nur ** lies from start to end until you sign the papers without explaining any transactions as required by law. I was forced to take the vehicle around 11:00 pm then later found out all transactions are misleading and charged thousands more. I request the victims please cooperate and let's take this complaint to the attorney general office. Please call - Consumer Helpline: 1-800-771-7755.

He lies on Honda care - hiding shady third party service, looks like Honda care then asking you to sign the papers. Here is how he cheats. (Note: if you sign any pink paperwork then you're a possible victim as I'm.) Step 1 - Prints bunch of papers pretending the printer is not good. Then adjust the transactions which you can't see, then repeats this practice for a number of times telling you the printout is not good. Step 2 - Throws a bunch of paperwork (Yellow and Pink) in front of you to forcing you to sign without explaining and lie that these are all Honda Care coverage. Step 3 - He shows first page (yellow form Honda Care), keeps the pink papers (Non-Honda papers) underneath hiding their heading, pretending these are all for Honda Care and then quickly putting all of them in the envelope. You never realize until check later you arrived home.

Step 4 - Here is the list he lies as Honda care below: (from my Hillside Honda Bill): (options & access) i) Standard factory Equipment, ii) Honda care D-**- 2995, ii) Road and hazard Coverage 515, iv) Tire Stolen Protection- 579, v) Automotive Theft Protection-655. Then they even have Honda name on it. American Honda Vehicle service, Honda care Toll free -1-800-999-5901 making you believe and then lies again saying you can call Honda on the above number. I complain "Hi, I see I signed some wrong papers misrepresented in your name." They don't believe this now and their reply some are legal. I believe this is going on for while and believe many more are affected by me as well, so people let's take this to the next step for justice.

I was there yesterday to get some information on buying a new car. The salesperson was very nice, he give me somewhat information on the car I was looking at then he started to talk and took me over to his desk and started filling out paper work??? "Buying a car is not like buying a pair of shoes!! I need to shop around and see if there is better offers," I said to him. He then showed me a car that was around my budget and I decided to go with his offer, then we got down to business.

He took all my information and told me to come with him to another older guy whose name was **. That guy was very rude and ignorant. He spoke to me as if I was his child. Shouting at me when he asked for the down payment which I had already done??? Then the price for the car instead of it being $163 went up to $300 per month??? When I asked him to explain, he started shouting at me. I then got up and spoke to another Manager whom was very polite. At that point, I wanted a refund on my credit card. There was no way I was going to buy anything at that point. People PLEASE BEWARE OF HILLSIDE HONDA!!!

I came to Hillside Honda to lease a new car. The salesperson that greeted me was helpful and nice. I selected a car I liked and we talked about the price. Again, everything went well I decided to sign the lease. As soon as I said that I am buying and supplied my personal info, things started to go downhill. When we talked about the price, we agreed on $0 down. Suddenly, more than $4,000 of some mysterious fees and charges appeared on my bill. Also, the finance guy (an older and very short Pakistani guy - I do not know his name he never introduced himself) tried to charge me more than $2,000 in sales tax. I said, "How is it $2,000 when the lease is $179 a month for 36 months?" The total price is $6,444 ($179 multiplied by 36). So, the tax should be 8.875% of that amount, or $572. The finance guy says, "Oh my mistake." Nice mistake!

As we argued about the price, the salesperson said, let me have your credit card to make sure you have serious intentions to purchase the car. I almost did that, but then I suddenly realized that I read about this trick in some of the reviews about Hillside Honda. So, I firmly said No and said that I am leaving. Afraid that they will lose a sale, the salesperson and the short finance guy backed off and agreed that I will pay the Finance Fee of around $600 (a legitimate fee charged by Honda Finance), Destination Fee of around $800 (again, a legitimate fee), Title and Registration Fee of more than $300 (overpriced Hillside Honda fee, but I was so tired by that time I agreed to pay it), and the sales tax of $572.

So, I got my car, but the entire experience was very stressful and left a sour taste in my mouth. I am afraid that Hillside Honda still somehow cheated me. I am afraid that when the time comes to return my car, they will get me with some clause buried in the fine print. I deeply regret that I did business with Hillside Honda. I should have walked out of the door right when I saw the fraudulent charges in my bill.

Please be careful when you are having oil change at this place. I noticed that all the mechanics are using the same engine oil from the same container. Even though you requested and pay more for Synthetic oil . This place has a girl telling people that the reason the front wheel rotor is no good is because you DON'T use the car very often. She has no clue what is a rotor. They claimed that they are using Mobile 1 but people be very CAREFUL.

Helpful

18 people found this review helpful

Tarshema of Jamaica , NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Nov. 22, 2014

I leased my Honda civic in 2013 brand new and I'm so glad my lease is almost up. I will never deal with these people again. They are a bunch of hustlers!!! They overcharged me on a leased car. Got home checked the internet only to see that I paid almost $5,000 more than the asking price. I went there the next day to ask about it and I was told by one of the shiesty finance managers that "each dealership can charge any price they want". I felt so stupid. Left this place with buyer's remorse.

Helpful

23 people found this review helpful

Arthalie of St Albans, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: July 12, 2014

My dad bought my sister's Honda there in 2010. He bought my Honda there last year and this year we went back to trade in my last year's Honda. First, I was there for 6 hours because I was told that there was only one finance guy left and the others went home. Second, my car wasn't cleaned properly and was left dusty inside. Third, I wasn't given back the tire locks my husband bought and put because they said they couldn't take them out. When my husband went back for, he was told that it's too late and they sell them for over $60 at the dealer. Fourth, I was given no mats. My husband asked for them and he was told to come back. I will never go back there again.

Helpful

23 people found this review helpful

John of Elmhurst, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Oct. 3, 2013

Hillside had the car and color I wanted (2013 Honda Civic LX) and I want to say I am VERY, VERY pleased with the car. My salesman, Rob, was friendly and very laid back, which I appreciated. He didn't push me into anything. HOWEVER, the Finance Manager I dealt with was a completely different story. When I tried to ask a question or make a comment, he talked right over me and talked very fast, probably hoping I wouldn't realize some of the things I was being sold. I wound up paying for extended warranties on the car and extended LoJack warranty, which I didn't want and was talked into. I know Honda's are well-made cars. If something went wrong with the car, I'd probably pay less to have it fixed than the amount of the extended warranty. After signing so many papers and being swamped with information, my head was spinning by the time I left. What also annoyed me was on the receipt/bill of sale, which I didn't notice until I got home, was an amount of $75.00 which specifically said was at the dealer's discretion to charge.

Needless to say, I was charged that amount. Also, I wasn't given a printed list of the add-ons and what they cost (i.e., LoJack, warranty) until I asked for it and was told that I was informed verbally and if I want a printout, they'd give me one! If I wasn't overwhelmed, I should have asked to see another Finance Manager. I got the car down from 21,500 to 19,500 and in the end spent $29,000!! Granted, the state/local taxes, inspection, registration are unavoidable expenses and I did think the LoJack was a good idea and additional alarm system, but as far as I am concerned I paid way too much for the "extras". NEVER AGAIN. I should have gone to Paragon Honda where I bought my last Honda.

I was looking for a dealership (Honda) online to take my wife to because she wants to purchase a Honda Fit, a new one. I came across Hillside Honda and I saw all these bad reviews. I can't understand why the professionals decide to treat customers and potential customers the way they do. Obviously the answer will always end up being about money. Perhaps the commissions are rather small or the sales people can't stand people asking questions unless they know the sale is in the bag. Probably for every yes they hear, 1000 no's or something like that.

Regardless, it's so sad and also extremely scary to see people treated like this on such an important purchase. I mean, how many cars does an average person buy in his or her lifetime. Anyway, like I said, I feel sad, really sad for those who received the whammy from these people. And Hillside and I can say this, if it's any consolation to those people, their hardships have certainly turned me off and I absolutely will steer clear from purchasing a vehicle at Hillside Honda.

I have experienced the fraudulent practice of this dealer in year 2012 when I got a new vehicle from the dealer. By fraudulent means I was made to pay for what the dealer eventually called "vehicle warranty" after I have made it known to the employee that I do not want any warranty on my vehicle. By their normal wayward practice, he listed sales tax twice on the bill of sale in order to divert my attention and to lie to me that he is not selling me warranty. I was made to sign a paper of sales declaration and was denied a copy after promising that all the signed paper has a duplicate copy for me. When the business was challenged by Better Business Bureau, the previously blank paper was modified with figures to cover the fraudulent practice.

Helpful

16 people found this review helpful

Donna of Sunnyside, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: July 28, 2013

I was forced to register the car at the dealership and charged exorbitantly for the service; sent out of the dealership without an insurance card and told "not to worry"; false mileage on the lease; lease price based on $8000.00 more than the sticker price; victim of the old "bait and switch". I begged and fought with the dealership and Honda America for three months and nobody would do anything about this. Honda America claims that they are not responsible for false advertising or actions by the dealership. The dealership people actually told me, "...too bad lady - you signed on the dotted line. There is nothing you can do."

Helpful

14 people found this review helpful

Diane of Flushing, NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: July 19, 2013

This is my 8th New Honda at Hillside Honda 139-07 Hillside Avenue in Jamaica. I traded in my 2008 Honda Odyssey and wanted ALL of the same features but, new, unused Model. Given a VIN #. Waited a week. Day before I picked up, I was called with New VIN # but never told they switched my NEW vehicle to a Showroom damaged vehicle!! I notified them immediately of damaged scraped and chipped paint on door/door not closing properly, oil stains, pen mark stains, black finger prints on head liner, coffee cups and creamers inside vehicle, etc!! I was told they would give me a loaner car so they could fix and even stated they would put the rack on vehicle that was originally agreed upon.

NO LOANER car EVER given. Missed 3 days of work so far and only the paint was fixed, NOTHING ELSE!!. Had me sign a release to be able to drive home and after signing, they inserted the words SHOWROOM ODYSSEY SOLD and they never notarized the Release either...!! Spoke to Manager ** and refused to put owner Peter on the phone. TOLD ME TOO BAD!! My original Contract has the original VIN number and the words NEW. I should not have been deceived and given an Abused Showroom Demo at a New Price and WITHOUT notifying me. Total FRAUD!

Recently I took my 2012 Honda Odyssey 18K miles on it for repair because I've been getting a lot of vibration during high speed braking and also hearing clicking or ticking noise coming from front end when turning steering right or left at standstill. Left the car for repair at 7:30 am and went back to pick up at 6:45 pm just to find that they didn't do any work on it and said they don't see any issues at all. I left the car, said, "I need this repaired or else I am not picking it up." Today, I sent an email to their service manager, Dominick ** explaining the issue. He called back after reading my email just to tell me the same things and said the vibration is caused by wrap rotors and he will not repair this. He was very rude, disrespectful and asked me to take it to another dealership for repair when I bought this vehicle from Hillside Honda last year.

I said, "You guys told me everything was covered for 3 years or 36k miles when I bought the vehicle and now telling me these rotors are not covered?" I understand the brakes and oil are not but Rotors are part of the front end suspension and drive train of the vehicle and why should it go out on 18k miles? He was very loud and rude with me on the phone and hung up the phone in my face. I am very disappointed buying a vehicle from Hillside Honda. Never thought they would actually hire a Service manager who is so rude with their customers. Now I don't even know what to expect from their other employees. SHAME ON YOU, HILLSIDE HONDA. I will definitely file a complaint against these guys with corporate office. These guys have no values for their customers. I am so afraid to even drive this vehicle on the highway now since brakes are the most important parts of the car.

I left my car there at 8am on 5/14/2013. I was told at 2pm what repairs would be done and then was billed for 9 hours of labor when no work started until 2pm.

Helpful

9 people found this review helpful

Fanieda of Richmond Hill , NY
Verified Reviewer

Original review: Aug. 3, 2012

I read some of the stories here and I can't believe that it's so similar to my story. In a brief summary, it's the same redundant theme such as the salesman withholding my contract for five days, the financing manager Nur ** lies, etc. I wonder how many more victims are out there. I strongly believe that Hillside Honda should be exposed for their dishonesty and unethical business practices. It's unfair that we all have been scammed of our hard earned money and many more will fall victim to the same lies and frustrations that we have experienced. I have contacted the media " Help me Howard" and I was told that I need at least four other people who could collaborate my story. If you are interested, please call me at ** or email me at **.

Helpful

20 people found this review helpful

Danielle of Brooklyn, NY

Original review: Nov. 23, 2011

I leased my 2010 Honda Civic from this dealership in August of 2010. One year later, I took my car in for the yearly state inspection and was told I needed all new brakes, I couldn't believe it. A year old car shouldn't need new brakes at all! The man that typed up the paper work, also rudely told me maybe you shouldn't ride your brakes. I've had cars previous to this and never had problems such as this.

So, after doing some research and calling Honda Corp, thinking maybe there was something wrong with the car, I was told to take it to another Honda dealership to get a second opinion. I did. The results - there was absolutely nothing wrong with my brakes. I didn't need new brakes at all. Hillside Honda lied! Stay away from this dealership, there are nothing but con artists that work here.

The deal was good until you get to the financing guy. They try to make it seem LoJack and alarm are mandatory. They weren't. Geico doesn't even lower your insurance much by 7 bucks. Beware of LoJack, alarm system, and extended warranty, which you cannot even return the next day. It will cost you $6,000 at least.

Helpful

16 people found this review helpful

Jordan of Rocky Point, NY

Original review: Sept. 20, 2010

Deceptive pricing. Games. Lies. These are all the things that are in-store for you if you decide to purchase a certified pre-owned car from them. To their credit when I discovered over $5000 of additional charges rolled into my finance, they removed most of them. However I'm still stuck with a $1500 Lojack system they said was included that I have to pay for because they cannot "uninstall it." Nothing but High Pressure tactics.

Helpful

14 people found this review helpful

Zaleena of South Ozone Park, NY

Original review: March 2, 2010

Prior to my purchase of a 2010 Honda Civic LX, I owned a 2008 Honda Civic which was also purchased from Hillside Honda. That sale was also a bad experience but nothing compared to what occurred from the purchase of the new vehicle. The series of events listed below have occurred involving my purchase of a 2010 Civic LX from Hillside Honda:

Saturday, January 2, 2010, I was approaching 30,000 miles so I had an appointment with the service department for scheduled maintenance. During this service visit, a battery check was performed and I was told everything was fine with the car. I left feeling secure that what I was told was the truth. My car was parked in front of my home and was not used over the weekend. Monday, January 4, 2010, I attempted to start my car only to find out that it would not start and the battery was dead. I called road-side assistance that checked the car only to find out that nothing was left on but the battery was dead and the reasons were unknown. I could not comprehend how the battery died since the car was serviced on Saturday, so I made an appointment with Hillside Honda service department.

I arrived at the service department at 3pm, and while the 2008 Civic (VIN: 1HGFA165X8L097316) was being checked in the service department, I wandered in to the dealership (as I normally do during my service appointments) to look at the new cars, specifically hybrids. I greeted familiar faces in the dealership specifically, sales manager, Mohammed *** with whom I had dealt with in the purchase of the 2008 Civic. I told him I wanted to look at some hybrid cars due to excessive mileage I rack up during my weekly commute. Rather than handling my inquiries directly, Mohammed found a sales person, Manny, who seemed nice but was not the person I had hoped to handle the potential sale.

Manny answered questions I asked in regards to gas mileage and showed me two hybrids, the Fit and Insight. I asked about the Civic hybrid and he told me that they were discontinued and the dealership did not have any available. Manny asked if I was interested in test driving any of the cars and initially I answered, "No". Manny explained that hybrid cars have a completely different feeling from regular cars and I should experience it for myself if I was serious about purchasing a hybrid. I took his advice and he let me test drive the Fit. During the test drive, Manny explained to me a little more about the difference between hybrids and regular cars but the real feel was what changed my mind and made me glad that Manny insisted I take a test drive. We arrived back at the dealership around 4pm and I went to the service department to see if the 2008 Civic was done being checked.

As I walked towards the department, the service guys there told me they were looking for me because my car had been hit. Of course, I thought they were kidding and I even told them to stop kidding around. A sales manager there (in a white shirt, possibly named Dominick) began walking towards me with a solemn face. The look on his face was clearly not one about to share good news and he began to inform me that my car had indeed been hit. My first thought was how could this happen and I asked him how this happened. The guy in the white shirt quickly told me that the car had been hit by another customer as he attempted to leave the service lot.

They then walked me over to the car which was parked very close to the entrance/exit gate and clearly in a spot that could potentially be hit. The service person told me the police had been called and the customer was waiting in the office. They took no responsibility in the matter although they were still in possession of the car and had parked the car in a path of potential danger and seemed to vanish once informing me the car had been hit. The other customer and I were left alone to wait for the police to arrive, for what seemed to have been two hours or more. While waiting for the police to arrive, I called Mohammed around 5pm and informed him of what happened. He advised me to wait for the police and then come back to the dealership to look at new cars. I did not feel comfortable waiting in the service department with the other driver and went in to the dealership seeking some solace, considering what had happened. As I waited, I could not help but feel overwhelmed with all that had occurred and began crying.

After what seemed like a lifetime, the police arrived and took some information from me and the other customer involved. We then informed our insurance companies, and the other driver took full responsibility for the accident. After meeting with the police, I signed the paperwork to get the keys to my car from the service department. I then went back to the dealership. It was now 7pm. Mohammed was aware of what had happened with the 2008 Civic and directed me once again to the sales rep, Manny. Manny noticed that I was distraught and compassionately asked if everything was alright. I informed of what happened with the 2008 Civic and he told me not to worry, he would get me out of my car and into a brand new 2010 Civic. He seemed sincere and I trusted him. Little did I know that I had fully exposed my vulnerability by informing him of what happened.

Sometime around 7:30 pm, Manny and I were sitting at his desk going over my options for the new car. I was truly interested in the Civic Hybrid but Manny once again told me they were discontinued and not available at the dealership. I then decided to go with the 2010 Civic with the LX-s trim. Manny told me that the differences between the LX and LX-s were not significant and the LX may be a better model for me.

Now, the price war. I had already been at the dealership for four hours not anticipating anything that had occurred and lacking any research or evidence with comparable pricing for the car I wanted. I refused to pay the MSRP sticker price at over $18,000 and offered $16,500. I had purchased the 2008 Civic for $16,800 and thought $16,500 would have been a fair amount. Manny said there was no way he could let the car go for that price and at that point I requested to speak to sales manager Mohammed again. Manny said he would speak to Mohammed and disappeared for a bit. He came back with an amount of $17,000 and told me that there were very low APR's being offered at the time.

I still thought that figure could be negotiated further and told Manny that I was at a disadvantage since I had no way of checking other prices so he said I was getting the best deal out there but offered me his computer to let me check online for myself. The gesture, although it appeared to be unbiased, was completely the opposite. I was limited in both time and places to search and so was unable to make any headway with comparable pricing and had to settle for what was being offered. Hesitantly agreeing to the $17,000 purchase price for the 2010 Civic LX, Manny said he would need to get the trade-in value of the 2008 Civic. He left once again and I was expecting him to come back with a great number. I had originally purchased the car for $23,629.80 with auto-start, active alarm, Lo-Jack and 2.9% APR for 60-months.

I wanted to speak to Mohammed about the trade-in value but noticed he was with another customer sitting directly behind me. I overheard the conversation because the customer was extremely frustrated with Mohammed and he called Mohammed a liar and stated that he was promised one thing and was in fact told something else. The customer became irate and stormed out of the dealership. Mohammed then walked away and began calling the customer inappropriate names. I found it all a bit odd but was more interested in when Manny would be coming back to meet with me.

The less the value trade-in: Manny came back and told me that my 2008 Civic LX with 29,262 miles was only worth $8,500. I was shocked that it was worth so little and shared my disbelief with Manny. He stated that the car could have been worth an additional $1,500 (total $10,000) had I not reported the accident at the dealership. He stated that the accident would now appear on a Carfax and therefore reduced the selling price. I found that tidbit of information alarming since I was not the person that called the police but rather the service person working at Honda. I also found it odd that Manny would prefer the accident to go unreported. I voiced my concern with the $1,500 loss and he advised me once again that it was the best price. In the same position as before, I had very little bargaining power since I had no outside evidence to support my theory. I had to agree to the price that was being offered.

After all that back and forth, it was now time to decide on the color. I told Manny I wanted the Royal Blue and he wrote up all the necessary paper work and told me he would be back. Left alone again, it was now around 9pm. Manny came back and told me that the color I wanted was not in stock and I would have to wait three hours for it to arrive if I truly wanted that color. I did not want to settle for another color and therefore decided to wait the additional time hoping it would not actually be three hours. He seemed surprised that I agreed to wait and said he would need to place the order and left again.

At this point, I got up and walked towards Mohammed and told him what had happened during my discussion with Manny. He seemed unconcerned and I then asked him to give me a better deal. He said Manny knew what he was doing and not to worry. I then told him I was exhausted and hungry and wanted to get a bite to eat since I would have to be waiting for the car to arrive. He said I should wait for Manny to arrive before I leave. I grew tired of waiting and told him to call me when the car was ready. I went to a nearby diner and ate quickly. It was now about 10:30pm and I received a call from Mohammed telling me that I could come back that the car was ready. I quickly ate the rest of my food and left the diner only to arrive back at the dealership and have to wait yet again to meet with the finance person, Patrick O.

It was close to 11pm and I was still waiting to speak with Patrick.

I called Mohammed since I did not see him in the dealership and he informed me that he had left. I personally thought Mohammed leaving was unprofessional since I was interacting with him throughout my entire sale process. He said that I shouldn't have to wait much longer and that Manny would take care of me. I was annoyed at that point, to say the least, but waited yet again. Finally, some time close to 11:30, I met with the ever so busy finance person, Patrick. Beyond exhausted after having been at Hillside Honda for over 8 hours, I was more than ready for a quick transaction.

Patrick was a fast talker and had an accent which made things he was saying a bit difficult to understand. It was way too late to have extra features thrown at a person, much less an exhausted person, like me. I had been through so much already. He began jotting down figures about the Honda Care package convincing me that it was something that I needed. I was hesitant to agree but Patrick assured me that I could cancel it any time and receive a refund. With easy cancellation in mind, I agreed to it thinking I would go home and review the package and cancel the next day if necessary. I knew I wanted to add auto-start and an alarm to the car, however the pricing for these items were not clearly displayed nor explained to me after the sale.

Manny previously mentioned the low APR, 1.9% for 60 months or 0.9% for 36 months which was being offered. I always pay more than the monthly payment, so I obviously wanted the lower APR. I was aware that the lower APR would result in an increased monthly payment but the overall payment would be lower. I explained this to Manny and Patrick and they told me that I was incorrect. They both stated that as long as I pay more than my monthly payment, the APR applied would not affect the total cost. I was skeptical in their logic but it was now so late that I began to second guess my own logic. Through all the fast talk, random figures and skeptical logic, it was finally time for me to sign the dotted line. Eager to get out the place, with it being close to 1am, I signed the paperwork hoping to read all the fine print with a clear mind the next day. With everything signed, I left the finance office and waited yet again. My decision to add auto-start on the car resulted in a longer wait and I was advised that I would need to return the next day to complete the installation and hand over the title for the 2008 Civic along with the spare keys. Manny told me he would not be in, but I should see Mohammed. Annoyed that I would have to return, I agreed and finally took possession of the car at 1:15am on January 5th, 2010.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010: The day after. I was advised to return to the dealership to complete the auto-start installation and with having to make a return trip to the dealership I wanted to check the figures of my sale with comparable pricing online. With a clear mind, I was confident that I was taken advantage of by the sales department, I did some research. I checked the true trade-in value of the 2008 Civic and some other offers on 2010 Civics. My hunch was correct as I discovered from www. Edmunds.com that my trade-in was worth about $12,000 - $15,000 excluding the additional features I had on the car. I printed a copy to take with me to the dealership, hoping they would explain why my car was valued significantly lower. I was also convinced that the APR rate given to me would affect the overall cost, contrary to what Patrick said. I called sales manager Mohammed around 11:40am to check his availability and he advised to come in. Not willing to go alone seeing as it may make me vulnerable, I took my mother. We arrived at the dealership around 2pm and Manny was not in as he had said the night before, so we waited to see Mohammed. Mohammed greeted my mother and me, but looked less than pleased that she had come. He knew my mother from the previous sale and my mother was not the type of person to be taken advantage of in any shape or form and Mohammed remembered this. He had us wait a little longer and then took us into his office. I began telling him my concern with the sale from the previous day, specifically the trade-in value of the 2008 Civic, the sale price of the 2010 Civic, cancelling the Honda Care package and the APR rate. I also requested an itemized list of what had been added to the car. The sale price was $17,000, but the bill showed $19,505.

Mohammed told me that the trade in value was a good deal and at that point, I showed him the Edmunds.com value. He said the Edmunds.com value was incorrect and invalid since the dealership would not have to re-condition the car and re-certify the car and they did not use Edmunds.com to value their cars. He then pulled out a little black book and asked about the mileage on the old car. I told him it was 29,262 and he then began writing on the back of my printed out sheets. He jotted down $11,000 as the worth of the car excluding any additional features. He then began subtracting figures and somehow arrived at the $8,500 price Manny had stated the night before. At that point my mom looked at the print out from Edmunds.com and begin to argue with Mohammed and claimed he was robbing us of the true value. She stated that price given to me for the trade-in was too low and the dealership would probably resell it for double the price. Mohammed then stated I should not have agreed to figure quoted by Manny if I was not happy with the figure and that was nothing wrong with them making a little money.

In utter disbelief that he had just said that, I demanded that he throw in free accessories to compensate for the significant gap in the dealership value given to me and what was being quoted online. He agreed and told me to come back the next day with a list of all that I wanted and he would approve the items. I asked him for a Honda brochure and he said there were none available but I could just look up the items on the Honda website and print it out. With the trade-in value taken care of by the promised accessories, the next item to discuss was the APR. I told Mohammed that I wanted the 0.9% APR for 36 months, but Patrick had insisted and on the 1.9% for 60 months. I explained to him that 1.9 over 60 months would result in an overall higher interest payment than 0.9 over 36 months. He then pulled out a calculator and began showing me figures that made no sense. He said the difference between the two rates would be minimal which I found hard to believe. The savings would be about $800.

Mohammed then told me not to worry because he would throw in all the accessories. He said there was nothing he could do about the APR and it was up to Patrick. He advised me to come back the next day to receive my accessories and the itemized sale list. I told Mohammed that I wanted to cancel the Honda Care package and he attempted to persuade me that it was something I needed. I had similar coverage with Geico and did not need it at all, so I persisted with him cancelling it. He told me that I would not be able to cancel it right away but rather would have to wait to receive something in the mail. I found that hard to believe since I had read the cancellation policy which stated I could cancel anytime within the first 60 days. Mohammed insisted that I needed to wait for some card to come in the mail and said he could not cancel it at this time.

I asked Mohammed where the 2008 Civic was and informed him that my insurance company would be issuing a check for the damage from the other party involved. I told him that Geico would send an adjustor out to assess the damage and would need the car to stay at the dealership until they looked at it. He said he would make sure the car stayed at the dealership and they should call the service department when looking for the car. At that point, I handed over the title and spare keys to the 2008 Civic. We left the dealership around 2pm. At that point, I felt uneasy with what we had just discussed and realized no matter what he threw in, I was taken advantage of. I had lost thousands of dollars from the trade-in, to the sale price of the new vehicle, to the finance rate.

Mohammed had given me his business card in 2008 with his personal cell phone. During the 2008 sale process and the 2010 sale process, we communicated via cell phones and on 1/5/10, he took our business relationship a bit too far. He would always seem a bit flirtatious commenting on how I looked and asking if I had a boyfriend. I never took him seriously but rather directed the conversation back to something related to Honda. On Tuesday 1/5/10, Mohammed and I text messaged each other regarding our discussion earlier at the dealership. I wanted to be sure that he would follow through on his promise and he insisted he would. In one text, Mohammed asked me to go to dinner with him and I politely declined. I did not think it was appropriate for many reasons, mainly the situation that was unresolved with my sale. I explained to him that I didn't think it would be appropriate and he insisted that a simple dinner would not hurt. I then explained that my father (who knew Mohammed as well and was of the same ethnic background) would not approve and Mohammed said I need not tell my father. I found the whole thing disturbing and I stopped responding to his messages.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010: Mohammed had told me the day before to come back to the dealership to receive the accessories. As he said, I went to the Honda website and looked at the available accessories. I selected the items I wanted and printed a copy to show Mohammed as he instructed me to do the day before. I called him on his cell phone around 12:45pm and he advised me that he was not in the office but he would be in the next day. I was annoyed that it had now been three days and felt that I was getting the runaround with him. I explained that I had other things to do than visit Hillside Honda everyday and he said he would have everything straightened out. I advised him that I would not be able to be at the dealership before 6:30pm as I had work and he said that would be fine. Geico called me and informed me that they were unable to get in touch with anyone at the dealership and therefore unable to locate the car. I became worried and Geico said they would try again.

Thursday, January 7, 2010: Now back at work, I sent Mohammed a text message around 9:30am to make sure he would be in. He replied that he would be in but did not notify me of what time he would be leaving. I did not think to ask him since I had told him the day before I would not be available until after 6:30pm. I left work and rushed home to pick up my mother so that I was not alone. We got to dealership around 7pm. As I walked into the dealership, I noticed Mohammed was getting into a car so I shouted out to him. I asked where he was going and reminded him of our meeting. He said he was going to dinner with his boss and I was too late.

I reminded him that I told him I would be coming after 6:30pm and asked why he did not contact me to let me know he was leaving early. He said not to worry he would have someone take care of me and walked my mother and I to the desk and spoke to another sales manager, Frank C. He told Frank that I had a list of accessories and that he should approve it and then Mohammed left. Mohammed did not take a minute to look at our list nor did he even apologize for having to leave. Frank seemed nice but had no knowledge of the sale or anything that happened so I found it very unprofessional that Mohammed would pass us off to him. Frank told us to have a seat and he would be with us in a few minutes. We sat there waiting and feeling neglected. Mohammed had left and we would have to explain the whole situation to Frank. We sat there waiting and a female sales rep must have noticed how upset I was and asked if I needed help. I told her I was to meet with Mohammed but he left and she was shocked. She told me to speak to Peter Petito who was a manager there and then pointed to a gentleman. Frank then came over and walked us to a desk.

I explained to Frank everything that happened from the itemized sale list to the APR and told him that Mohammed said he would compensate for everything by giving me the accessories. Frank seemed skeptical that Mohammed would agree to that and asked to see the list....total $1,008. He said there was no way he could approve any of the items since he was not involved in the sale. I asked Frank about cancelling the Honda Care package and he told me the same thing Mohammed had told me the day before. My mother and I were so angry at that point. We did not understand what the hold-up was since Mohammed told Frank to approve my list. Frank said he would need to speak to Mohammed so I insisted that he call him, and Frank hesitantly called and said Mohammed was not answering. I was skeptical so I called Mohammed myself from the dealership line and explained to him what was going on. Frank excused himself and left me to speak to Mohammed. Mohammed spoke to me hurriedly and ended the call before I could pass the phone to Frank. I called again this time from my mother's cell phone sensing that Mohammed may not pick up if a call from the dealership or my cell phone. He picked up and I asked him what was going on because Frank refused to approve anything and my mom and I were sitting there like fools. He spoke to Frank briefly who told him that he couldn't approve the list and they ended the call.

Frustrated once again, I asked Frank for the itemized sale list and he said it was unavailable because the office was closed and I could either come back to pick it up or have it faxed to me the next day. Furious now, I gave him my number to call me to have the item faxed. Frank excused himself once again and my mother and I were left there sitting, unsure of what we were waiting for or what to do next. Overcome with emotion, I began to cry and a sales rep, Masud noticed. He came over and tried to console me. He was a familiar face from the dealership and offered some advice. He told me that there would be a meeting on Saturday 1/9/10 and if I wanted any type of resolution, my best bet would be to come that day. He also told me not to trust sales manager Mohammed because he was a bad guy. He also pointed out that the day of the sale (1/4/10) Masud tried to help me with the sale but Mohammed did not allow it. I was unaware of that and would have preferred to work with Masud rather than Manny. Masud also advised me that I would be receiving a customer service call from American Honda and I should share my experience.

While Masud spoke to me, my mother had completely lost her patience and began yelling in attempt to get some attention and it worked. Frank and Peter Petito walked toward us and asked us what was wrong. Frank was already aware of what was going on and explained the situation to Peter. He then made a photocopy of the list of accessories and said he would speak to Mohammed. I informed them of the situation with Geico to which Mohammed neglected to share with anyone. Geico was sending an adjustor out to inspect the damage on the 2008 Civic and was unable to neither locate the car nor get in touch with anyone at the dealership. Frank and Peter had not known about this at all and immediately took the old VIN number and searched for the car. They informed the car was getting ready to leave the dealership and I had mentioned it just in time. Frank gave me his card and told me to give Geico his number when they arrived at the dealership. Frank said he would give me a call the next day to fax the itemized sale list. Distressed and angry, we left the dealership around 9pm. Masud walked us out and for the first time in this hellish week I felt some genuine concern from someone at Hillside Honda.

Friday, January 8, 2010: Frank was to call and fax the itemized sale list but I did not receive a call so I called and got his voicemail. I called the dealership only to find out he was not in. As per my conversation with Masud, I was planning to go to the dealership on Saturday so I would just vent my frustration. I realized my experience at Hillside Honda had been miserable and decided to research customer reviews. In my investigation, I discovered they were not accredited with the Better Business Bureau and had a B- rating. Customers went on and on about complaints and to little surprise, sales manager Mohammed was mentioned in a few of them. I printed all the reviews and BBB review and began contemplating filing a complaint.

Geico called me and informed me that they could not get in touch with anyone and would try again. A few hours later, they were finally able to get in touch with someone and sympathized with my experience. The adjustor proclaimed that the staff at the dealership were less than helpful and would try to get me as much as possible for the damage.

Saturday, January 9, 2010: With my mother by my side, we arrived at the dealership bright and early, around 9:30am. We were informed that all the sales reps and managers were in a meeting until 10am. A couple of minutes after 10am, the staff at Hillside Honda began to filter on to the sales floor and we waited. Wanting to speak to Mohammed, he, without surprise, directed us to Frank. Curious as to why Mohammed refused to deal with us, we sat with Frank who apologized for being out the previous day. I asked Frank if they had spoken to Mohammed and he said he was unsure if Peter P. had addressed him. Frank said that in regards to the accessories, he could not give me everything which left me feeling disappointed. With all that I had been through, all he was approved to give me was all-season mats ($117) and a trunk tray ($107); however neither of those items were available that day and I would need to return on Tuesday to pick them up. At that point, I felt so defeated with everything I agreed just so I could start enjoying my new car and start my new year without worry. I asked about the itemized sale list and he said the office was closed on Saturday and he would fax it to me. Needless to say, I have yet to hear back from Frank or receive the piece of paper I've been requesting for days.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010: I contacted Mohammed via text message to see if he was in and did not receive a response. I was told to come in on Tuesday to receive the trunk tray and mats, but since I did not hear from Mohammed, Frank or anyone else at the dealership I decided I would go there the following day. Wednesday, January 13, 2010: I contacted Mohammed via text message around 12pm to find out if he was in the office. He replied that he was in but I should contact Frank regarding the accessories. I thought it did not matter who I dealt with to pick up the items so long as I received them. I told him that Frank told they would be ready and I was coming in later that day to pick them up. I arrived at the dealership around 3:30pm and did not see Frank. I saw Mohammed and Masud on the sales floor and told Mohammed that I was there for the items. He told Masud to handle the situation and Masud gladly greeted me and took the car keys to have the items put in the car. I also reminded Mohammed that I had not yet received the itemized sale list and he said he would have Masud get a copy for me. I waited for about 20 minutes or so and then a service person advised me that my car was ready to go. I can only assume that Masud drove the car to the service area and they put the items in, since I expected Masud to return the car to me. Once the service person told me the car was ready, I exited the dealership, hoping it would be the last I would ever have to deal with them. After leaving, I realized I still had not received the piece of paper I've been requesting for weeks.

My experience at Hillside Honda may seem comedic to some, however it is no exaggeration. All the events did in fact occur and to make matters worse, I am on the email list for Hillside Honda. On January 26th, I received an email letting me know they were having a special and the price of the car I purchased less than a month ago was being sold at $15,354. This email also had a link for their Black Book value so of course I checked the value of the car I had traded in. According to their own evaluation system, my 2008 Civic was worth $11,845 not including my extra features. According to their own email, Hillside Honda had ripped me off and I guess the email was proof.

I finally got that call from American Honda on Thursday 1/28/10. The representative was very sympathetic and gave me the number to contact customer service at American Honda. I called on Wednesday, 2/3/10 and spoke to a representative named Cecily, who had the unpleasant task of typing all that I was telling her. She was in disbelief of all that happened and actually shed some light on my situation. She informed me that the dealership could've adjusted the APR and it was up to their discretion. She said they also lied about cancelling the Honda Care and it could've indeed been cancelled the day after as I had requested. I told them everything and I have been assigned a case number. I'm waiting to hear back and needless to say, Hillside Honda has been attempting to contact me regarding the survey from their corporate headquarters.

Based on my horrible experience at Hillside Honda, I will never shop there again nor recommend them to anyone I care about. There service was dreadful and the majority of the staff was heartless and care very little, if any, about their customers. I will be reporting them to the BBB which may hopefully bring their already low rating down lower. I hope to receive some type of satisfaction from this whole drawn out experience.

I entered Hillside Honda on January 4,2 010 at 11am. I was looking for a vehicle on sale and a car dealer approached me and he said to me the vehicle I was looking for is already sold and he began to try and sell me other vehicles so he pointed at the 2010 Honda element. I said maybe so he asked if I had $2000 money down to pay, I said yes and wanted to also trade my car. They took it for $1,175.

Everything was fine until I entered the financiers office named Patrick **.

The first thing he said to me was I had bad credit which was a total and complete lie. My credit score is 7.12. Second, he said the bank cannot accept my credit and the only way they can is if I buy a 2-year extended warranty priced at $3000 and a LoJack system priced $2000. I denied and told him I only wanted to pay the vehicle, taxes, and motor vehicle processing. He began to pressure me and I kept saying no. I got upset and got up and wanted to leave, then Patrick ** told me to please sit and he called Mohammed **.

I informed Mohammed that I only wanted to purchase the vehicle, taxes, and motor vehicle processing and he agreed. Patrick ** ripped the first contract, deleted the warranty and was still pressuring and persistent about the LoJack system. Once I left the financiers office, they made me wait an hour and 20 minutes. I was in Hillside Honda the whole day till 10pm. I was drained, tired and hungry and wanted to go home then the dealer and Patrick came back and told me to sign 2 more contracts which were both blank. I said no way am I signing a blank contract without details or numbers they both left and came back with details on the contract and once

When I began to read the contracts they both said everything in the contract is fine, just sign it. They were like a needle in my back, pressuring me. Then they took the contract from my hand saying they have a lot of customers waiting, they placed the contracts in an envelope and said goodbye to me. Once I got home, I began to thoroughly re-read the contracts and realized that in one contract the car was priced at $24,595 and in the second contract it was priced at $26,000 and in the third it was $29,595 over priced from $24,595.

The LoJack system was priced in the first contract at $696 and in the other 2 contracts, it was way overpriced. I was devastated and realized what they did to me. They changed the price on the vehicle and LoJack system. They stole money from me. A person like Patrick ** and Mohammed ** doesn't deserve a job in a company like Honda. They are giving the Honda corporation a bad name. People like that don't deserve jobs like that.

I was looking to test drive and ultimately purchase a 2009 new Honda Fit. I visited another Queens Honda dealership and they did not have any to test drive. I had seen The Hillside Honda commercials and decided to check there. I called ahead to see if there were any available to test drive. There were and we were told to come in right away and to ask for Peter. It is not a close location to me so we made a special trip. When we arrived, the receptionist saw that we had called and told us to wait and a sales rep would be with us shortly. She was very polite.

When the salesman, Tony, came out, he was very dismissive of me. We had no communication as to what he was doing. He did not ask what type of Honda Fit I was looking for. He made no effort whatsoever to inquire about my needs. He arranged for the test drive model to be brought out but did not ask whether I was interested in a manual or automatic transmission. I was interested in a manual and an automatic was brought out. I was not shown to the car. I was pointed down the block and told that there would be one there. I was allowed a 7-min. test drive around the block in residential streets where I did not bring the car over 15 mph.

I wanted to drive it, at least, on Hillside Ave since that is, at least, a faster traffic flow. I was not allowed. I was told to pull in and then my test drive was over. I was told that a test drive on the highway was also not allowed, even though he took my license and was in the car. It was assumed that I would purchase a $17,000 with a 7-min residential test drive, unless he did not take my interest serious from the beginning.

The salesman took the car away immediately and there was no mention of sitting down to talk about anything. I had to go into the building and inquire. When he came out, he ignored me and went around to several other customers and that is when I complained to the receptionist. He then came up and claimed that he was looking for a desk to begin talking. It was a halfhearted effort at best. At no point in our drive or upon meeting me did he make any effort to ask any questions about what I was looking for. He did not offer any details about the car.

I had to keep asking questions and he would give very brief answers. I was not given any respect as a serious buyer who is more than financially able to buy a car. I had every intention of purchasing this day. Prior to my visit to the dealer, I had gone to the Hillside Honda website. I had been reading about the Fit. I had been asking many questions. This was not a frivolous endeavor by any means.

I am a 40-yr old woman with a very well paying job and an excellent credit record. I just happen to look about 10 to15 yrs younger than I am and have arms full of tattoos. In my opinion, I was profiled quickly by him and he assumed that I was not a serious buyer and not worth his time, effort and respect. Hillside Honda has lost a sale. In this economic time, I guess Hillside Honda is doing well enough that they do not need to sell cars.

Hillside Honda Company Information

Join our community to stay up-to-date with the latest reviews, recall notices, and brand recommendations.

Our community members are happier with their purchases than consumers who didn’t research before buying. To see why, sign up below!

Email

THANK YOU

Keep an eye on your inbox, the latest consumer news is on its way!

At ConsumerAffairs we love to hear from both consumers and brands; please never hesitate to Contact Us. We take privacy seriously, please refer to our Privacy Policy to learn more about how we keep you protected. You’re responsible for yourself and please remember that your use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use.

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

The information on our website is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice. ConsumerAffairs.com makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof.